#lost brothers: baldr and hodr

[kepesktribe]

Though I couldn't save you before...

...and we have lost everything...

...I will not leave your side. I will save you... my dear brother.

[ficretus]

I am gonna partially disagree.

Adam both is and isn't Beast. He takes some bits from Disney's version, notably the name and bits of appearance (Disney's Beast has Minotaur features which would match him being a Bull Faunus) and association with rose. His relationship with Blake does share common trope of Beauty and the Beast story of them being together before being separated due to Beauty leaving him. However, when his true colors are revealed he stops being Beast and indeed takes a role of Gaston/Rose curse. Him playing role of the Beast doesn't make him special since Blake has multiple Beasts, with Yang as THE Beast. He is a red herring (or I guess red edgelord bull) Beast in initial portion of the story.

Side note, there are also versions of Beauty and the Beast with tragic ending in which Beast dies because someone besides Beauty found out about his curse. Probably a tin foil, but Adam could also be reference to that since he dies in a fight in which someone else besides Blake sees what's behind his mask.

_____________________________________________________________

On Norse myths, I firmly stand on that one. Adam shares Fenrir role with Hound, former feels like an allusion to Fenrir's binding, while latter to Fenrir's rampage during Ragnarok. Gods attempted to seal Fenrir with normal chains, but he would break away every single time. This somewhat parallels Adam's childhood as basically SDC slave before escaping and becoming a terrorist. However, they eventually used Gleipnir, ribbon like fetter. To ensure Fenrir stayed in place, Tyr offered his right hand as a bait. Fenrir was bound and Tyr lost his hand. This symbolically represents his rivalry with Blake and Yang. Gleipnir. Yang lost her right hand fighting Adam (Tyr is god of war, heroism and justice which does somewhat match Yang's personality), while Adam was eventually defeated by Blake using Gambol Shroud which often takes the form of a ribbon.

On the matter of Odin, RWBY's Odin is Ozma and his incarnations. He is father of current world order who shapeshifts (representing his reincarnations) and guides humanity. You have Raven and Qrow as Huginn and Muninn, his ravens that serve as his agents (poems even have Odin worried that Muninn might not return, which parallels to Raven leaving Ozpin's side). Beacon is Valhalla, his castle that houses the souls of the greatest warriors. Einherjar in Valhalla are gathered to eventually fight against his enemies during the Ragnarok (which parallel true purpose of academies being training ground for Ozma's war against Salem).

This brings me back to Hound, who during the Ragnarok devours Odin. This parallels Hound being the one to defeat Oscar and bring him into belly of Monstra, symbolically devouring him. Hound was eventually crushed under statue which parallels Fenrir's fate of being crushed under Vidar's boot before being stabbed.

Ruby to me matches the most Vali, Odin's youngest son. He grew from baby to a grown man in a single night to avenge his brother Baldr (Pyrrha) by slaying Hodr (Cinder). This parallels Ruby in multiple ways, she is the youngest in generation, she was forced to rapidly grow up during and after Fall of Beacon and she nearly killed Cinder. Vali is also one of the rare gods to survive Ragnarok and helped to rebuild the world after it, so it wouldn't be too weird for it to be Ruby considering her role as protagonist and leader.

Cinder on the other hand could be Hodr (circumstances of Baldr's death do somewhat parallel Pyrrha's), Surtr (fire giant with flaming sword that will set the world on fire during Ragnarok) or Hel (appearance, self proclaimed ruler, casted down at birth).

Grimm Summer could potentially also be Fenrir (since Grimm Summer would be an allusion to Big Bad Wolf), but I also suspect she might be an allusion to Garmr, hound that will fight Tyr during the Ragnarok (who is ready for that mother-daughter reunion).

Sorry for a long tangent

So here’s an interesting little detail I noticed while rewatching some of the Beacon arc:

Out of all the various disposable pawns, patsies and stooges we’ve seen utilized by Salem over the course of the show (not counting the stooges who make up her inner circle), it’s funny how the only one who seems to actually recognize how much of a pawn he really is, is TORCHWICK of all people.

Like when you look at Roman’s scenes with Cinder and her minions, and particularly his final fight with Ruby in Volume 3, it’s pretty clear that he was always acutely aware that he was a very small piece of a MUCH larger game.

Just compare that to the likes of Adam, Leonardo, Jacques and Ironwood, who by all rights were all COMPLETELY oblivious to how much they were getting played, or just how little they mattered to Salem.

And that gets even more interesting when you consider that Roman was probably the smallest piece in terms of both status and overall significance compared to Salem’s other pawns. Like I actually don’t think for a moment that Torchwick ever actually met Salem or even KNEW about her by name. I imagine all Roman knew was that there was some boss/mom that Cinder was reporting to.

Instead, Torchwick was able to look at everything Cinder was doing and plotting, between manipulating the White Fang, securing several warehouses of stolen dust, planning a full-on grimm-incursion of Vale during the Vytal Festival with the ultimate aim of toppling one of the four Huntsman Academies. Not to mention I imagine Roman had at least an inkling as to the whole Maiden business that Cinder was after, plus the fact that she seemed to be able to control grimm to a degree. Maybe even guess that this was a plot years if not decades in the making.

And it’s pretty clear that Roman took one look at all this and rightly surmised that he was a bit player in a truly MASSIVE game. As he implies to Ruby during their final fight, Torchwick may not have known much about Salem or her plans, but he knew ENOUGH that he didn’t want to be standing AGAINST her.

Again, just compare that to someone like Adam Taurus, so-called big-shot revolutionary with his big plans to topple the oppression of the humans… who seems to have had no fucking clue that his new ‘friends’ were fully intent on sending him and his followers out to die as a DISTRACTION for their own plans.

Or of course, James Ironwood the big, strong (self-appointed) defender of Atlas and (also self-appointed) last, best hope for humanity, who to his dying breath seems to have been ENTIRELY oblivious to just how completely Salem and her minions were playing him like the cheap kazoo he was.

Or just Jacques Schnee the big-shot corporate overlord who wasn’t even important enough to know about any kind of scheme. All he needed was Watts dangling an election win like keys in front of a baby to be a dutiful little pawn for Salem.

Though funny enough, to Jacques’ credit; the moment he hears about the heating grid going down he does seem to immediately catch on that Watts played him for a chump.

And it’s rather amusing that this is more than can be said for the likes of the ‘Faunus Revolutionary’ who bent the knee to a human girl who kicked his ass, or Ol’ Jimmy the Child-Shooter himself.

[godsofhumanity]

Hey there! how are you? :D

I was reading your headcanons on some gods dynamics and I'm curious if you have any headcanons for Hodr and Baldr?

hiiii i’m good, how are you :)))

i think that Baldr and Hodr were actually really close brothers

there are some that might be tempted to say that Hodr was perhaps jealous of Baldr’s loveliness, but i really don’t think that’s the case because in the Nordic texts, the only one listed as hating on Baldr is Loki... Loki is the only one who refuses to cry, which implies that Hodr wept as well

When Hodr realised that Loki had tricked him and he had killed Baldr, he was absolutely distraught and traumatised

i imagine that Hodr, in repentance for what he had done, probably just bowed down immediately to Vali when he was to be killed for his crimes; so Frigg didn’t lose just one son over those few days- she lost two sons AND a daughter-in-law :((( RIP frigg

and i also don’t think that Baldr holds has a grudge against Hodr... it’s said that Baldr was extremely noble and kind and brave, and i think he loves his brother too much to be cruel to him

in Hel, Baldr and Hodr are probably still as close as can be

the two brothers are also listed as surviving Ragnarok together so they all live happily ever after and build the new world together <3

[aboutnorsemythology]

“Höðr and Baldr” And two sides of the same story.

There are two widely divergent versions of this story.

Prose Edda by Snorri Sturluson

The most familiar of the two comes from the Prose Edda of the medieval Icelandic  Snorri Sturluson. As Snorri says, the god Baldr, who here is presented as a charming, loved and innocent sufferer, had dreams that predicted his imminent death.

His mother, Frigg, turned around and got oaths from around the world that they would not harm her son. The only thing he omitted was the mistletoe, since he thought it was too small and harmless to have a real consequence in this matter. When the clever cheater Loki discovered this neglect, he made a spear of mistletoe.

While all the gods had fun throwing all the projectiles available to Baldr and laughing while things bounced on their uninjured companion, Loki approached Hodr, here portrayed as blind and quite gullible, with the spear of mistletoe. He convinced Hodr to throw the spear to Baldr to contribute to the game and honor the strength of his brother. (Hodr and Baldr were children of Odin.) With Loki guiding his hand, Hodr threw the spear towards Baldr. The weapon went through him and, to the surprise and horror of everyone present, he fell dead on the spot.

Later, Hodr was killed by the avenger of Baldr, Vali, who seems to have been conceived specifically for this purpose and whose origin is also controversial (I'll talk about this in another post)

“Gesta Danorum”"The Danish history" by the medieval Danish historian Saxo Grammaticus.

Here, Hodr is far from the passive pawn that Snorri makes him see. Hodr de Saxo (latinized as "Hotherus") is a character whose personality and actions best match his name, means "warrior".

Hodr and Baldr were two great war leaders who organized their armies against each other because of a dispute over the hand of the beautiful maid Nanna. Baldr was nourishing himself with a special spiritual food that gives him invincibility, and Hodr knew he could not beat Baldr by normal means. Then Hodr undertook a long and dangerous journey to the underworld.

There, he obtained a weapon that had been charged with magical powers that would allow him to overcome the magical force induced by Baldr. (It is likely that at this point Loki was able to inform Hodr about how to kill Baldr, because he was angry about Odin's actions, but this does not make him Baldr's killer) Soon after, Hodr wounded Baldr in combat, and Baldr died of his wounds a few days later. However, Hodr was killed by the avenger of Baldr, who is called "Bous".

These two stories are similar enough that they should point to the same basic story. However, they also differ in several definitive aspects, one of which is the character of Hodr.

In the first, Loki is the evil one who has the express intention of murdering a poor defenseless child (Bladr was not such a child and if we read in the same Edda when the gods torture and mock Fenrir Wolf, Baldr laughs cruelly for see him). Fenrir suffers) In the second Loki is not mentioned, not because he was not present in the story but because he was not the real murderer of Baldr.

Imagine for a moment that the version of Snorri's story was the only one that survived to this day. This is, in fact, the case of many of the stories told by Snorri. His version of Baldr's death is clearly far from the complete picture, and his story can not be taken literally.

Of course, the same must be said of Saxo's version. Saxo and Snorri had superimposed but divergent objectives, and whatever their own additions to the story, and whatever the motives behind their additions, they might have been drawn from different versions of the story in the first place.

 Regardless of the reasons behind the differences between the two narrations, however, it is clear that we have two versions as different in spirit as in the details, and that none of them gives anything like the complete picture.

 This example should serve to prevent us from taking the primary sources too literally, as if they were outright stories of how the pagans of northern Europe saw the world, or how they heard stories told by someone who was clearly on one side in this story . They point to the old world view of northern Europe, yes, but that worldview is often visible only in an opaque way and hidden beneath layers of later creations.

The sources are the starting points for our knowledge of the pre-Christian Germanic world, but they are not the final points. A "stick to sources" approach will only lead us astray and allow us to be tricked by Snorri and others, just as Hodr de Snorri was too confident by Loki. To fill in the gaps, to restore much of what has been lost, we need an approach that is both more critical and intuitive at the same time. We must identify the elements that are common to multiple sources, unite them to form a more integral framework.

Here are the two versions, you decide which of them you want to believe.

Sources: https://mitologia.top/dioses-nordicos-y-criaturas/dioses-y-diosas-del-aesir/hodr/

https://www.bookdepository.com/Saxo-Grammaticus-I-History-Danes-I-Books-I-IX-Saxo-Grammaticus/9780859915021

https://www.britannica.com/biography/Saxo-Grammaticus

[dailyawakening]

oh please tell me your thoughts on loki! she's actually a rather interesting character and i dont think intsys could do her justice so i would love to hear your ideas!

this response is so late because A) I’ve been trying to figure out what to draw for it and B) I’ve been trying to figure out how to structure the monster novel that by necessity needs to be attached to anything relating to my Loki thoughts. 

As a disclaimer, all of this is entirely my own invention based on the original mythology and what we’ve seen of canon; I’m resigned to the fact that there’s no real chance any of this will become part of Heroes, but this is what makes me happy personally, so I’m going to stick to it as an AU if nothing else.  So with that out of the way: let’s talk about Loki. 

I decided that the easiest way to go through this would be in the major stages of Loki’s life, with each one showcasing a different appearance (Loki’s a shapeshifter, after all).  It’s not always easy to put myths in order, but I have a pretty strong personal plot thread that runs through Loki’s myths, so let’s start at the beginning: with Loki’s early experiences as one of the Aesir. 

Loki is not technically a god – not in the way that Odin and Thor are, at least.  Loki is a child of jotunn, and more than likely is a jotunn as well, rather than one of the Aesir, so under normal circumstances would not have counted among their number; however, Loki and Odin forged a blood pact and swore an oath to treat one another as brothers, and so Loki was adopted into the Aesir fold by bonds of kinship. 

Loki is not truly evil, and never has been.  Loki is a mischievous spirit, fiery and wild, fond of trickery and games, and those have a tendency to get out of hand sometimes, which leads to big problems.  But Loki’s word is also their bond, and when they swear an oath, they keep it.  The myth of Idunn shows this very clearly: when Loki is captured by a jotunn, they swear to give him whatever he asks, and he asks for the goddess Idunn, responsible for keeping the Aesir young and strong.  When Loki is released, they do exactly as they swore, and lure Idunn into the jotunn’s clutches; however, when the rest of the Aesir realize what’s happened, they force Loki to promise to get Idunn back, which Loki proceeds to do. 

This oath keeping is important.  It will come up again. 

Now, because of the bond they swore, Loki was often called on by Odin to perform various tasks, many of which sent them wandering across the various realms – of course, Loki also succumbed to wanderlust sometimes when left bored too long, and had been known to wander off.  On one of these wanderings for whatever purpose, Loki met the jotunn Angrboda and ended up having a rather extended affair with her – enough that three children came of it: the wolf Fenrir, the serpent Jormungandr, and a daughter named Hel who seemed neither living nor dead.  

Loki loved those children.  They didn’t care a whit that they were seemingly strange: those were Loki’s babies, and Loki doted on them endlessly.  Eventually, though, Odin had need of Loki again and summoned them…and rather than leave the babies behind, Loki decided to bring them back to Asgard.  Now, the Aesir were significantly less thrilled about these children than Loki, but when Loki asked the Aesir to look after them in their absence (calling on Odin’s pact when he falters), they relented, and Loki left the three children with the gods. 

For a while, things were fine.  Unfortunately, Fenrir and Jormungandr in particular grew at an alarming rate, and the Aesir came to fear what monsters they would eventually become – so rather than let them become destroyers wreaking havoc on Asgard, Odin chose instead to deal with them while Loki was absent on a mission: Fenrir was bound with the ribbon Gleipnir (only managed because Tyr, the Aesir he trusted most, agreed to place his hand in Fenrir’s mouth to prove it was no trick – and he lost that hand for his deception), Hel was exiled to the realm of the dishonored dead (those who died of sickness and famine rather than gloriously on the battlefield), and Jormungandr was thrown into the swirling chaos of the Tempest before Odin used his might to quell it. 

Loki was…less than pleased when they got back.  Vascillating wildly between rage and desolation, they took out their suffering through increasingly malicious pranks on the Aesir (the theft of Brisingamen and the shearing of Sif’s hair), which ultimately ended in Loki paying the heaviest price.  Eventually, grief took its toll, and Loki gave in to a listless depression; it was their inability to care at all that made them discount Svadilfari’s strength, and they came to pay for that, too – though the price came in the form of a new child, the eight-legged colt Sleipnir that Loki bore as a mare.  Unwilling to see another child suffer the same fate as the first three, Loki gave Sleipnir over to Odin in hopes that leaving him in service to the Aesir would protect him from harm…and, at least, Loki would still be able to see the child. 

And it’s here that we reach the first turning point: realizing how unstable Loki had become owing to the loss of their children, Odin decided to take drastic action and try to ground them in the present – by arranging Loki’s marriage to Sigyn.  No one actually expected the marriage to be more than lip service, with the two leading separate lives within the same house; however, much to everyone’s surprise, Loki and Sigyn readily came to care for one another, and Loki finally began to heal from the loss of their children.  They still mourned, yes, and still worried for Sleipnir, but much of their playfulness returned as they found joy with their new wife.  Settling with Sigyn and becoming a more committed member of the Aesir led to the first major shift in Loki’s appearance, as well. 

Loki and Sigyn had a child together: a son named Narvi who they both loved dearly.  Having a child to raise once more helped to ground Loki still further, and they finally settled comfortably into their role and came to be almost friendly with several of the Aesir.  When Thor’s hammer was stolen, Loki helped him first to find it (by using Freya’s cloak of feathers to fly to the realm of the jotunn; he promised to return it and made good on his word) and then retrieve it, and even won a new ally into the fold with their antics.  Loki and Thor traveled together as allies for a spell, no less, and had a rather harrowing encounter with a jotunn skilled in illusion (during which Loki lost an eating contest with a wildfire and had an unwitting encounter with Jormungandr, something they mourned once the truth was revealed because they had no idea).  And beyond that, Loki even came to the aid of mankind alongside the other gods, helping to save a boy from being devoured by giants when even Odin and Thor could not. 

Sadly, this period of happiness was not meant to last.  In time, Odin’s second son Baldr began to have terrible nightmares about his own death; fearing deeply for her son’s life, his mother Frigg went to every plant, animal, and other object in the world and begged them to swear to do Baldr no harm, to which they all agreed. 

And this is where things get dicey: Odin, wise and well-traveled already, had knowledge of what would come to pass at Ragnarok and after – and because of that, he knew that Baldr would rise from Hel to claim the world after the rest of the gods and men had fallen, inheriting the new and beautiful world that rose from the fire and flood.  With Frigg’s frantic attempts to keep her son alive, that prophecy would be endangered.  Odin, of course, is known as a good and honorable god…but looking at the myths more closely, it sometimes seems that he’s only ‘good’ and ‘honorable’ because he has others do his dirty work (it was his order that had Loki lure Svadilfari from his work, thus cheating the builder of his prize, after all) or claims that he acts in everyone’s best interests (as he did when he bound or exiled Loki’s first children).  

So in order to preserve his son’s ability to inherit the world, Odin went to Loki and asked him to find a way to take Baldr’s life. 

Naturally, Loki balked at that.  But Odin cited their blood bond, and insisted that it was necessary.  In the end, Loki agreed – on the condition that his family be spared from whatever followed, for there could be no doubt that there would be a heavy price to pay for this.  Odin swore it, and Loki left, discovering that Frigg had failed to ask the mistletoe for its oath and using it to create an arrow; and while the other Aesir were having a grand time throwing things at Baldr and watching them bounce off him without doing a thing, Loki tricked Baldr’s twin brother Hodr into firing the arrow – which struck Baldr in the heart, killing him instantly. 

It took little enough time for the gods to realize that Loki was behind the crime, and they proceeded to shut him out of everything.  Wracked with guilt and emotionally unstable, Loki gradually neared a breaking point, which led to the roasting of the other gods at Aegir’s house (which Loki intruded upon by pointedly reminding Odin of the same blood oath he’d cited to make Loki agree to the plot).  Realizing that Loki posed a great danger should the truth come out, Odin took drastic action: when the other Aesir, incensed by Loki’s criticisms and sharp words, hunted them down to be punished for Baldr’s death, Odin turned his youngest son Vali into a wolf and had him attack Loki’s son Narvi, viciously murdering the boy; and to make matters worse, the Aesir then used Narvi’s entrails to bind Loki to a stone beneath the earth, transfiguring them into chains before affixing a snake above Loki’s head to drip poison onto them for eternity. 

Only one stayed beside Loki through this: their wife Sigyn, who remained by Loki’s side catching the poison in a bowl (though she had to leave to empty it on occasion, and when she did the searing poison made Loki writhe violently enough to cause earthquakes).  And it is because of Sigyn that Loki remained passive for so long: her presence kept Loki calm, kept their thirst for revenge from overwhelming them, for she reasoned that if they did slip those bonds and set Ragnarok in motion, then Loki and all of their children all would die, just as Narvi had.  At least now the children had life and could have pleasant dreams – and at least now, Loki had Sigyn. 

But at some point in the very recent past, something happened: Sigyn vanished.  Loki had slept, and when they woke to the searing pain of the snake’s venom, they found that their wife was nowhere to be seen, and no amount of calling and pleading made her reappear.  That, truly, was the last straw for Loki: all their grief and despair turned to fury and hate in that instant, and the fireball they became incinerated both their chains and the snake that had so long tormented them.  In the aftermath, only one link of the chains remained intact, and Loki kept it close, fashioning it into the buckle of the belt they wear.  And without Sigyn by their side, Loki allowed that desire for vengeance to burn through them, which has led to where things stand today. 

The shape Loki now assumes is strategic as much as comfortable, meant to distract enemies and give her more openings in combat. Everything she does is self-serving, up to and including her alliance with Surtr – hence her betrayal when he ceased to be useful.  What she seeks: her children.  Calling on Veronica to secure Naglfar and raise the Tempest, she sought Jormungandr (and still seeks him, as each foray into the Tempest has left her empty-handed); and now that Surtr’s power has been added to Hel’s army, giving her the ability to break the barrier Askr put in place, Loki seeks her lost daughter.  And in the end, she intends to make the treacherous Aesir suffer for the pain and misery they caused her and her family for so long. 

[kepesktribe]

- For the longest time, Baldr's primitive reaper contract to his little brother is one of the only things keeping Hodr from losing himself completely as a voidsent, but everytime Baldr uses Hodr's power, a piece of memory is taken away. So when Hodr regained a humanoid form and more mental stability thanks to their allies (giving Baldr an excuse to not use the reaper skills and go back to sniping with a bow), he will still always have those holes in memory and a more passive personality usually.

- Florentel lost his father at the battle of Steel Vigil, leaving one of his older brother's (Nolanel) as Head of House.

- My Hrothgar, Ziven, lost his tail in battle so it is just a nub.

Below the cut is a small dribble I have had for a long time of Otome Shi, my Albino Raen, fleeing Doma.

Tears blended with the spray of the ocean storm, a pale hand gripped tightly to a ships railing. Otome clenched her jaw as the peaceful scene of Sui-no-Sato flashed in her mind. She couldn't go back to those gentle days under the water nor the pleasant tranquility of her mortician training in Doma. No, all she could do was look out over the rough seas.

Though she heard no sound of an approuching person, Otome didn't flinch when a hand rested on her shoulder. "You will fall sick out here. Why don't you come inside, Otome?" Yugiri gave the younger Raen a squeeze but Otome just shrugged the hand away. "...The elements, they sing with anger. Why can't I sing with them? They weep with sorrow as I. Father smiled, as did mother, even as they bled. To peace they left and here I stand alone. Why?" Yugiri didn't have an answer to that. She had never fully understood her fellow's view. In the end she had no choice but to leave the girl to her tears.

The planks of the ship tapped the docks of Vesper Bay to the sway of the light waves. Above, a clear sky greeted those aboard after the storm. Before even the first ropes could be tied, Otome was jumping over the railing. Yugiri called out to her but Otome kept on running. They reminded her of what was. She refused to remain with the others who fled. In the end, she passed the gates of Ul'dah and stumbled into the thaumaturges guild. She was exhausted and didn't know where she was... but a voice pulled her from her thoughts... and tempted her. She... needed power.

"Oh! Have you come to join the thaumaturges guild?"

OOC

I am mentally not in a great place right now and catharsis is way more emotionally satisfying for me than trying to cheer myself up, so...

if anyone would like to help me out, feel free to reblog or reply or message me sad/angsty/tragic/dark fics, blurbs, or headcanons. i would really appreciate it!!

[deficd]

a plotted starter for my bby @vuulpecula

     “Dreams, dire dreams, the son of Odinn bore, wandering lost in worlds of woe. Death he met in shades of night, speaking doom and fated tale: “Even gods call and cower before my might! For all strength, in the end, fails.” This was how fate unraveled for Baldr, the most beloved of the gods, he of Light and Sun.” 

They two rode slowly through the trees, Ragnar so engrossed in the tales of his land that he hardly recalled the reason they wandered. A task from Dutch, to survey a small township North of Strawberry, and perhaps find the opportunity to make a little bit of a money. Luck had been on the decline lately, and the likelihood that this secluded township housed anything aside from people who were even poorer than them was slim. Instead of troubling himself with wasted time, he’d taken to sharing stories of his gods with Fox, reveling in her fascination with his strange, outlandish tales. 

     “Sure in purpose, power, pride; the all-mother Frigg hastened over the land to secure oaths from all things, living and not, that they would not harm her son. In her oversight, she did not ask the mistletoe for this oath, thinking it too insignificant to harm the God of Light. Yes, be it beast or thorn or flower, bird, elf, or ghoul, all had sworn to never harm him.” 

Silence fell between the two as he paused in his tale, only the sound of birds and the soft trod of hooves. He knew all too well that his stories bordered on madness in these lands. Truthfully, they were regarded just the same across the ocean, in his homeland, as Christianity pored through it like precious gold. Ragnar would rarely admit that the old gods were his as well, if anything he teetered on the precipice of belief and apathy, but he liked to talk. He especially liked that Fox enjoyed his myths, even when she giggled at the eccentricity of them.

     “But in the shadows the trickster god Loki schemed. He asked Frigg, “Has everything given you an oath, all living and not?” and she said, “All but the mistletoe, for it is too young to swear a vow.” Then Loki sought it and stole a twining stem. The gods had made a game of throwing axe and sword at Baldr since he could not die. On this day, his brother Hodr, blind and blade-less, had no weapon to test. With Loki’s whispering, he threw the mistletow as an arrow, and it pierced his brother through the heart. Silence swarmed the air like a campfire smoke, and Baldr fell upon the earth; then died the sound of music and so died the light and mirth.”

After a moment, his tale finished for the moment, he looked over at his companion and offered her a toothy grin. “So? More interesting than the Christian book, right?”

[saphaburnell]

Son of Abel: Bragi's Tale

A fragment from Son of Abel…

Bragi grinned wide and inviting. Pulled another flask from his pocket and passed it over to Caleb. 

“Gonna need your strength.” 

“Don’t know if I’d call what I’ve got strength. Determination, maybe. I don’t know.” Caleb took the cap off the bottle and stared at it, as the warmth of night coddled any intention of the contents going unsipped.

“Maybe that’s what you need to figure out.”

“Tell me about the mark, Bragi. What’m I missing?” Not that the Æsir of Stories was trustworthy, Caleb could never go so far. On a long stretching night, a yarn or three could take Caleb’s mind off of one number missing from his equations. 

“Now, there's versions of this'n, but this is what I remember. Once upon a time, the All-Father Odin took in a waif from beyond the mountains. Most of us argue whether Loki was a waif at all. Shape changers, see. They’re a tricky lot and Loki’s the best Trickster of them all, barring Anasazi in these parts. He was both younger and older than Odin. He may have put his own magic into making the world tree and all the worlds grown within its’ branches. Loki grew, and Loki was part of us in Asgård. As most stories about our shenanigans start, it was winter and we were bored…”

“More mead, brothers!” Thor beat his mug on the long table, arm thrust around his wife’s shoulders. Sif laughed and covered her distended belly,  heavy with Thor’s next child. All Asgård was in the Hall, drinking and staving off the unsettling darkness of winter’s dead hours. Baldr, God of Beauty was making merry by challenging the gods to do him harm, as he was invincible. Seeking only the best entertainment, Loki joined the game. He slunk off and found the secret to Frigg’s favourite boy. Mistletoe hadn’t promised to keep Baldr safe from harm. Not like the rest of creation  promised the Lady Frigg. Loki fashioned a dart out of Mistletoe. He gave the dart to Baldr’s blind brother, and waited with his grinning teeth behind a pint of mead. Magni son of Sif and Thor overheard Loki’s sons bickering over who would be the one to throw the deadly dart. Magni, young of years and weak of leg, raced into the Hall. 

He thrust himself over the table and sprinted for the invincible God as Hodr’s dart flew out of his hand. A roar of merriment broke through the hall, shattering as Magni reached to catch his uncle's falling body. Baldr died in Magni’s young arms. Loki cackled and leapt onto a table. Won the game, didn't he? 

Where was his prize? What reward did Åsgard give their winner?

Blood spilled. Sif’s belly quaked. Oft children are born to the Æsir not from joy of parents’ love but for glorious and vengeful purpose. As Magni held his uncle’s body, a cold curse of death swept into the boy. He lost his effervescence and his pride. In heaviness, none but Frigg, Baldr’s wife Nanna and Magni would touch the body. His ship became his casket, alight with holy fire. Frigg let her magic carry warmth into her bones. Magni shut his mouth and called on all his inner strength. Nanna couldn’t take the cold. She threw herself on her husband’s pyre. The Æsir quaked. Odin sought Mimir’s head for wisdom to guide them in the death of beauty. Only one phrase the ancient head murmured to the All-Father. 

“Out. Send the brothers out.” 

Sif cried in labour pains. The gods waited in grief to see what product came from her loins. Would he be a warrior bold, a gentle sorceress, a new beauty? The babe was small and frail, prone to wailing unceasingly. 

Still Mimir’s head said, 

“Out. Send the brothers out.” 

To Magni they gave gifts and provisions. He was taught the ways of signs and magic from his grandparents Odin and Frigg. His brother Modthi was wrapped in tiger-skins from the Vanir, and laid in Magni’s arms. They set the brothers out of Asgård on a ship, Odin’s ravens chasing after. The seed for Magni’s disquiet was planted and the Æsir lost our strength to save us from the newborn’s whimpering tempest. Thor tore across the sky, Sif faded to a life of lingering quiet and a stillness fell in the halls. Ravens cawed. 

Odin listened for word of his grandsons until the rage and anger grew quiet, and words alone kept heathens at bay in the vault of stars.”

Geckoes skittered, rushing wind in the trees hushed Bragi’s story to a furrowed lull. Caleb pulled his sweater sleeves around his fingers and hunched down in its’ thin wool. 

“That… had nothing to do with Cain and Abel. Gee, Bragi. Need me to lend you a Bible?”

Bragi nodded, lips cracking open. 

“Those’re the only two brothers you need worry about. Cain and Abel… the primordial murder. Doesn’t matter what scripture the story comes from, it’s the same. Brother against brother isn’t right. Two factions under the same banner can’t fracture without the worst. Isn’t that what the story’s about? A mystical mark to protect the primordial murderer from  retribution? It isn’t a mark of freedom, or a curse beyond measure. Cain cursed himself when he took his brother’s life and squeezed it out of Abel’s dying body. Tell me how Baldr’s murder is any different.” 

“Hodr didn’t know he was killing Baldr.” Caleb said, rubbing his finger along his jaw. The gold torqued ring on his thumb caught diffuse starlight. He breathed deep of the scent of soil and palm sap, his own musk.

“Cain did?” Bragi tipped his flask to his mouth. The cinnamon warmth of fresh cooked apples peppered into the dusky night air. Grabbing the flask from Bragi’s hand, Caleb put it to his lips and drank it down. A burst of summer sunshine refracted across his esophagus into his spine. Caleb felt an endearing and motherly warmth soak into his body by inches. It radiated out from the settled liquor in his gut. Idun’s brew held the lifeblood and fire of the Viking gods’ bellies. Without her apple mead the Æsir would have packed it and died centuries ago in fits of bitter, forgetful age. The Æsir were beings of maintenance and constant natural worship. They were the fire, the flood waters, the clouds and the thunder but were not the wind. Neither were they the universe, or its creators. Caleb always knew worship on a planetary scale was as false as stepping down a precipice looking for Jacob’s Ladder. Still, nights like this, searching a crevasse had its' uses. As he tilted his head back to the vault of stars, Caleb Mauthisen held Idun’s warming ambrosia to his chest. 

“Yeah. Cain did. He knew he went too far. Nobody can cross the unforgivable line without knowing it. Where’d you get the new face?”

[gulldrengur]

meta: siblings (preparing self for feels)

 You’ll think that in a place ( home ) filled with so much testosterone you’ll hear about inner fights and something or someone getting smashed severely, but this is not the case when it comes to the ODINSON’S SIBLINGS. in fact they get along pretty well, there’s huge camaraderie among them.

Baldr with his elder brothers TYR and THOR; is mostly based in devotion. Yes, he sees them with devotion and admire such great warriors. Tyr selfishness and loyalty to their family, even the sacrifice of his hand is something Baldr admires. He admires Thor strength, his boldness and his sense of justice, one can even sense that Baldr loves the wild side of his brother, but he looks up the most is that sense of duty.Hodr: is his other half, he will not love other man like he loves his twin. A life without HODR is a life without meaning – He makes himself responsible for anything that might happen to his twin, he takes him everywhere and has the patient enough to explain what it’s going on around him. Not that his twin needs explanation, because he’s intelligent enough but he takes that little pleasure of just having something to say to him even if it’s just something dull or boring like father new gossip.  Baldr knows fully well the true potential of his twin, knows that Hodr always prefers to be silent rather that give a blunt opinion,  that he would rather stay away that bring attention to himself, with him Baldr has the most intimate and deepest relationship.Vidar and Bragi, may we say that while his brother Vidar is a spirit of nature of kind soul he’s also a bit of a natural jester. Him and Baldr get along but they are always nagging each other, of course never something beyond control nor dangerous, just the right amount of sibling bickering. Bragi is a kind soul, with lot to say, Baldr would always find him with something in his hand, whether it’s for writing sonnets, or playing an instrument, his fingers always quick to do their job and his voice always sweet and soft. Baldr love him the most. Hermodr; Lets just say is Baldr best friend, their bond is close, not like HODR, but close enough. They laugh and drink together ( even though Baldr barely drinks ) Hermodr was the first to volunteer to search for his brother in HELHEIM, for this Baldr will always be grateful.Vali: his avenger, Baldr knows little of him, but knows enough. Enough to feel sympathy, enough to feel pity --- Vali in Baldr’s eyes is beyond lost a soul looking for a place not to call his but to belong, he grew up too fast, tasted blood too quickly. Baldr feels responsible for his little brother’s fate and is truly sorry about what he had to be trough. 

[myrkmadr]

Day 6 of Deity Devotion: Loki

Other related deities and entities associated with this deity

First and foremost is Odin, sworn Blood Brother. It is established in Lokasenna that Odin and Loki had ”mixed blood together” and swore and oath to never drink without one another. 

Odin and Loki are also found together in Volsunga with another god named Hoenr, in which the three go hunting together and catch an otter, which turns out to be the dwarf Otr, and inadvertently help set the stage for Sigurd to kill Fafnir the Dragon. 

Hoenr joins the two of them again while they journey together, eventually coming across a great eagle who wants to have some of their food in exchange for helping them get an oven to cook. He ate so much that Loki became annoyed and started beating at him with a stick, so Thiazi took Loki up by the arms in the air and flew around. 

Hoenr and Odin both seem to get into shenanigans with Loki, enough so that potentially Loki could also be named Lodurr, as Odin, Hoenr, and Lodurr created the humans Ask and Embla, where nothing else is known about Lodurr. 

Skadi is the daughter of Thiazi, in which Loki’s shenanigans kills Thiazi and Skadi goes to the Aesir, which were able to convince her to take reprimandation instead of reveng. She asked for three things. First to take Thiazi’s eyes and cast them into the sky. She then says the gods must make her laugh. Loki ties a goat’s beard to his balls and the two shriek in a tug of war which does make Skadi laugh. Lastly, She asks to marry Baldr, but end up marrying Njord in a trial by looking at nothing but the gods’ feet. In Lokasenna, she is the one to tell Loki to quiet himself or else he will be bound to a rock with intestines by the gods. He continued his drunken spat and Skadi turned one of his sons into a wolf to kill the other, then killed the wolf to tie Loki to a rock and place a snake above his head. 

I know little about him, but next would be Thor. The infamous of the stories was when Loki convinced Thor to take the place of Freyja in marrying a giant in return for Mjolnir, and Thor, beard and all, dresses as Freyja and Loki transforms into a bridesmade, making excuses for Thor to the giant, saying that “Freyja” had not eaten, dressed proper, nor slept. Thor is eventually brought Mjolnir and strikes the giant. 

There is another story of Loki and Thor traveling, they find lodging with a farmer and Thor offers his goats for food, of which can be reborn later so long as the marrow of their bones are unscathed. Thor becomes enraged when one of his goats is reborn with a lame limb and the farmer gives Thor his two children as servants in return. The four, Loki, Thor, and the two children, all set out to Jotunheim, and came across a giant who annoyed Thor greatly that he tried to strike him in his sleep, but the giant only thought an acorn had hit him. Loki and Thor and the two children eventually found a castle, Utangard, and were challenged by Utangard-Loki. Thor lost his challenges, as well as Loki, as it turns out they were challenged by Fire Itself (Logi). When Thor decided he wanted to smash the castle to pieces, he found no sign or trace of it. 

Despite Loki could very well have transformed into an image of Freyja himself, I’m sure it was a funny sight to behold for him to have Thor dress in a wedding gown and nearly marry a giant.

Baldr and Hodr, I think, would be significant to mention as well. The story goes that Loki heard and knew about Baldr’s immunity to everything but Mistletoe, he helped Hodr, Baldr’s blind brother, raise an arrow and strike at him to join the festivities of everyone throwing all they could at the invulnerable Baldr, Loki seemed to have tricked Hodr into killing Baldr, as the arrow was made of Mistletoe and struck him in the heart. I have heard a variety of versions as to “why” or “how” and among them are: Loki desired/created balance between his own loss of his son Fenrir, as Fenrir was teh embodiment of death and chaos and power he was taken and fettered far away, tuhus perhaps Loki desired to create a balance between Fenrir, his son, and Bald, Odin’s son. I have also heard that perhaps it was simply a joke gone wrong, that as he helped Hodr aim, the two killed Baldr accidentally. And lastly, among one of my favourites, is that perhaps Hodr asked Loki to help him shoot down his perfect brother. Any of the three could fit, and somehow I find that maybe all three are true, but regardless, Loki had a hand in helping Hodr kill Baldr. 

Loki gets into many shenanigans with Odin, Hoenr, and Thor the most, it seems, sometimes overtly and sometimes covertly. 

It is a possibility I have missed some, as I am not well versed in Loki’s non-familial relations, but I will learn more, as I have in making this very post. 

[kepesktribe]

"Regardless of what you have become, you are still my brother."

"...Hodr."

[kepesktribe]

For Baldr:

♌:  three things my muse is enthusiastic about

And for Sybil:

♓:  my muse’s biggest secret

EW spoilers! At least I think it counts as such. Minor really? And I'll try to slip around what I can. Thanks for the asks @elveny ~MK

This boy? Enthusiastic? He hasn't had much to be enthusiastic about. I guess what can count is

Food. Any mention of food will have him visibly showing less grumpy. He'll be the first to the table if he can.

The prospect that he will be able to help his brother, Hodr. Having a voidsent for a brother isn't exactly easy. Baldr has never lost hope that his brother can be returned, strengthened by the fact that even as a giant bat like voidsent, Hodr has protected him all these years. Little steps.

As a sniper before his home world got turned upside down, Baldr has always been keen on sharpening his skills. So, if you can earn his trust and respect, he is enthusiastic about giving a tip here and there or chatting about different techniques. Anything on survival is sure fire way to get him to listen intently to you as well and offer his own thoughts.

Sybil's biggest secret? He has a few I think. The biggest is probably that his soul isn't new or an Ancient, but belonging to a familiar jointly made by two Ancients together for a specific purpose. He wasn't sundered per say, but he was reborn and his memories of that time did slowly return with each rejoining. Hence his nightmares of the End times (though he didn't know them as such at first). Just fires and darkness and dread.

[gulldrengur]

"And I come back to you now, at the turn of the tide..."

It’s like when an Iceberg crumbles, this reunion, is like hearing the thunder in the sky, or maybe like tasting something bittersweet. Too many feels, too many words hold in a tongue that is unable to say something else that’s not  “Brother” and yet in that word alone, Baldr shares the pain, the anguish and the relief of seeing his twin again. In a place just like HELHEIM he is relief to see his brother, to wrap his arms around his body and cry the tears he could not cry when disgrace hit them in such unfortunate moment. There’s not hate in Baldr’s heart, not against someone who he loves so much, his other half. A part of him will never be complete if Hodr is missing, a part of him is always lost when his brother is not around and yet there’s a bit of resentment, because Hodr was foolish into trusting Loki, Hodr… how could you trust him? – Do’t get me wrong Baldr cared for his uncle the mischievous god, but Baldr didn’t trust him fully after all he does honor his title.  “I…” What? glad to see him? no, he’s not glad being dead is not something to be happy about “I’m surprise to see you.” No he isn’t and for the first time in his life Baldr caught himself lying.